Mavericks had to dump Anthony Davis to finally heal the Luka Doncic heartbreak

One year after Luka Doncic was traded for Anthony Davis, in one of the more ludicrous trades in history, Davis is no longer a member of the Dallas Mavericks, as he was traded to the Washington Wizards. Mavs fans who protested against Nico Harrison don't have to worry about him anymore, as he was fired earlier in the season, but it's at least closure for the fans who loved Doncic. They were never going to get behind Davis in the same way.

When Davis was traded to the Mavs, just for a glimpse, Davis almost made fans forget about Doncic, that is, until he got injured in the third quarter of his season debut. From then on, fans got what they expected. It became injury after injury for the 10-time All-Star, and Mavs fans weren't exactly blaming him, but they got tired of the inconsistency on the court. Now, Davis is a member of the Wizards, one of the NBA's bottom-feeders.

Davis will undoubtedly go down as one of the biggest failures in Mavericks history. It helped that Cooper Flagg stepped in at the right time, but his injuries made Mavs fans more distant from Davis, only because there was never any chemistry with him and the fans.

Anthony Davis was never going to win over Mavericks fans

Doncic confirmed that he missed the city of Dallas when he couldn't contain his raw emotion coming back to Dallas for the first time after being traded. His tribute video was all he needed to prove that Doncic missed the Mavs fans just as much as the fans missed him.

The same can't be said for Davis. Fans expected a better trade to begin with, and they were already disappointed in the return for Doncic. It was malpractice that Austin Reaves wasn't involved in the Doncic trade. Now, the key piece in that trade is gone, and will help to rebuild the Wizards with Trae Young.

Mavericks fans will never be okay with Doncic being traded. After all, he was the face of the city. He is one of the faces of the NBA, and Mavs fans forever thought that loyalty ran deep in Mavs culture, until Harrison destroyed that. Fans got a glimpse of hope when Harrison was fired, but it still didn't correct the mistake that he made. Davis' departure won't solve much, but it's closure at the very least.

The message is clear now. It's no longer Doncic, it's Flagg's team. He's a 19-year-old stud who has the complete package. Even Mavs fans would agree that Doncic doesn't have the defensive abilities that Doncic has.

When Kyrie Irving comes back from injury, fans can only imagine what more the Mavs can do with Flagg. It's a shame that the unofficial "big three" of Irving, Flagg, and Davis never got to compete, but this season is the definition of Flagg and what his potential can be.

Fans will never accept the Doncic trade, but it's clear they are more than fine with Flagg leading the way for years to come.